Leeds Tykes 26 Titans 20

Rotherham Titans put in a colossal effort before eventually suffering a narrow 26-20 defeat to Leeds Tykes on a cold afternoon at The Sycamores.

Titans were outscored by four tries to two with John Okafor dotting down twice for Roth and Lloyd Hayes adding 10 points from the tee.

Titans’ first defeat of the season was a difficult one to take after such an effort, but they will take heart with over half the season remaining and Leeds having yet come to Clifton Lane, everything is still up for grabs.

The first half of the match saw Rotherham forced to defend for long periods; but this they did with huge intensity as they drove the home side backwards on numerous occasions.

As expected beforehand Rotherham held the upper hand in the forwards, but Leeds always looked threatening with ball in hand.

Titans thought they’d gone in front when winger Dan Rundle ran the length of the field to dot down under the sticks.

However, disappointment struck when the try was disallowed and play brought back 80 metres after the assistant referee adjudged Rotherham had been offside.

The scoreboard finally got a nudge on the half hour mark when Leeds went ahead after Jacob Mounsey ran a kick back from 70 metres and popped an inside pass to Harry Jukes to go in. Peter Lucock added the extras from in front of the posts.

Five minutes before the break Titans went down to 14 men after Gareth Denman was sin-binned for an offence at the breakdown.

Roth tried to ride out the storm until half time, but 2 minutes into injury time Leeds full back Kieran Davies spotted a gap in the line to cut through and run around to score under the posts. Lucock completed the formality of the conversion.

Rotherham came out for the second half rejuvenated and inside 2 minutes got on the board with a Lloyd Hayes penalty.

Shortly after Hayes thought he’d scored in the corner, but unfortunately for him another assistant referee’s decision deemed that he had been held up.

Rotherham finally converted their pressure into points just before the hour mark when John Okafor collected out wide and proceeded to power his way over the line. Hayes converted nicely.

Hayes then narrowed the gap to 14-13 a few minutes later with a penalty kick.

The momentum was now with Rotherham and they went in search of a famous victory.

However that was not meant to be.

Firstly Kieran Davies impressed with his pace as he spotted a gap in the Roth defence and darted through; then Harry Jukes used his pace to race down the line to score under the sticks for the bonus point.

Late on John Okafor scored what could be an important try as he dotted down and Hayes converted for a bonus point.

It was a surprise the game didn’t restart after less than 2 minutes of injury time, but Rotherham can take heart from their performance.

Roth will also know as the long winter months are about to set in, there is a long way to go in the season and importantly Leeds are yet to visit Clifton Lane.

It is expected there will be more twists and turns in the road before the outcome of this league is settled.

Rotherham will now switch their attention to the huge challenge South Yorkshire rivals Sheffield Tigers will pose when they visit Clifton Lane on Saturday.

Speaking after the match Titans Harvey Biljon reflected:

“It was a hell of a battle and you have to give Leeds credit, they stuck to what they’ve been all season in the way they play. I think the amount of pressure that Rotherham withstood today without the ball and the effort they put in was exceptional.

“There were some key moments in the game where the outcome swings either way. At 13-14 and then after we scored late on; I thought they may have been time to have restarted the game, but that’s the way it goes.

“To come away from home, put that amount of effort in and to pick up the bonus point, the players can be very proud of themselves.

“We still have things to learn and we are seeing at training the players are stepping up and learning and improving and I’m seeing that each week.

“I’ve said to the players this game won’t define our season. We can’t wait to get back to training and build on today. The performances keep coming and I’m proud of them; let’s see what the coming weeks bring.”

Referee: Daniel Woods

Attendance: 991

Yellow Card: Denman (Titans)

Titans: Okafor (2T), Hayes (2C, 2P)

Leeds Tykes: Jukes (2T), Davies (2T), Lucock (2C), Turagabeci (1C)

Titans: 15 Jack Townend, 14 Dan Rundle, 13 Lloyd Hayes, 12 Tomasi Tanumi, 11 Harry Dunne, 10 Will Milner, 9 JB Bruzulier (Metcalfe 72), 1 Charlie Capps (Kivalu 35) (Capps 58), 2 Jack Bergmanas (Cole 25) (Bergmanas 60), 3 Gareth Denman (Cowen-Leak 43), 4 Matt Challinor, 5 Matt Smith, 19 John Okafor, 7 Laurence Cowen-Leak (Ward 35) (Denman 58), 8 Zak Poole (Capt.).

Replacements: 16 Luke Cole, 17 Loma Kivalu, 30 Reece Ward, 18 Callum Bustin, 20 Will Metcalfe.  

Leeds Tykes: 15 Kieran Davies, 14 Jacob Mounsey (Jukes 74), 13 Ben Dixon, 12 Tom Williams (Turagabeci 63), 11 Harry Jukes (Macnab 63), 20 Peter Lucock, 9 Will Hardwick, 1 Toby Williams, 2 Adam Brown (Capt.), 3 Jordan Cordice (Dennis 30), 4 Charlie Friend, 5 Tom Collins, 6 Eddie Brown (Ademakin 30) (Brown 57), 7 Lucas Walsh (Yorke 78), 8 Junior Nu’u (Ademakin 66).

Replacements: 16 Aarin Yorke, 17 Will Dennis, 18 Tobi Ademakin, 19 Henry Macnab, 10 Seremaia Turagabeci.

Titans 28 Hull 9

Rotherham Titans were made to work hard for their well-deserved 28-9 win over Yorkshire rivals Hull on a blustery afternoon at Clifton Lane.

Titans outscored Hull by three tries to nil with Will Milner, Charlie Caps and Matt Challinor all dotting down, whilst Lloyd Hayes added 13 points from the tee.

The win keeps Titans unbeaten record intact and sets up nicely this weekend’s trip to fellow unbeaten side and league leaders Leeds.

This game was good preparation for Leeds, as Hull proved to be extremely tough and competitive throughout and Rotherham shouldn’t be disappointed at not claiming the bonus point.

Indeed it was Hull that raced out of the blocks brightly and got the scoreboard ticking over first when fly half Reece Dean knocked over an early penalty.

Rotherham needed to be mentally “on it” for this game and they certainly were as they faced a huge physical challenge from a powerful side, both in the backs as well as in the forwards.

Inside 10 minutes Roth went ahead when fly half Will Milner, after collecting a sharp pass from Will Metcalfe, showed immense strength to power over the line with Hull defenders hanging from him. Lloyd Hayes converted from in front of the sticks.

Before long Hull retook the lead following two more penalty kicks from Dean to make it 9-7, as Rotherham began to lose a little discipline.

Roth regathered themselves as the half wore on and they began to get the upper hand in the match; this led to Hayes knocking over his second penalty to nose his side back ahead.

That advantage was stretched in the final play of the half when loose head prop Charlie Capps barged his way over following a huge pack effort close to the line. Hayes converted to take it to 17-9 and ensured the half time oranges tasted that bit sweeter.

The second half saw Rotherham enjoy lots of territory and possession with Hull seldom threatening the home line; indeed Hull were nilled by an impressive Rotherham display.

Two further penalties from Hayes 10 minutes in made it 23-9, before on the hour mark Rotherham scored their third try when lock forward Matt Challinor barge over.

Try as they might however Roth were unable to add to their tally as Hull showed tremendous determination and spirit to keep them out.

Titans can be mighty pleased with the win over a side that must surely finish inside the top 5 this season and now Roth will switch their attention to the encounter in West Yorkshire this Saturday against Leeds.

Speaking after the game head coach Gaz Lewis said:

“I think we did a lot of things well; we played field position in the second half, we didn’t quite get the detail right around our maul, but I’m not quite sure about the legalities in how they defended it and we’ll have a look at that later.

“However we got the win and we should be proud of that and we’ve continued our winning momentum.

“Will Metcalfe at scrum half on debut played well; I thought he marshalled the game fine, he was sharp around the breakdown and he’s hungry to learn and improve and he has lots of potential.

“The season is building nicely; the game next week against Leeds has been on everyone’s lips and we’ve done well to keep our focus on the job in hand each week.”

Referee: Peter Connor

Attendance: 250

Yellow Card: Kivalu (Titans), Logavatu (Hull)

Titans: Milner (T), Caps (T), Challinor (T), Hayes (2C, 3P)

Hull: Dean (3P)

Titans: 15 Jack Townend, 14 Dan Rundle, 13 Lloyd Hayes, 12 Tomasi Tanumi (Dunne 53), 11 Jack Render, 10 Will Milner, 9 Will Metcalfe (Bruzulier 50), 1 Loma Kivalu (Cowen-Leak 35), 2 Jack Bergmanas (Cole 55), 30 Reece Ward (Denman 28), 4 Matt Challinor, 5 Matt Smith, 19 John Okafor, 7 Laurence Cowen-Leak (Capps 28), 8 Zak Poole (Capt.).

Replacements: 16 Luke Cole, 17 Charlie Capps, 3 Gareth Denman, 20 Harry Dunne, 23 JB Bruzulier.  

Hull: 15 Jamie Shaul, 14 Ali Heard, 13 Duell Trueman, 12 Bureta Faraimo (Hudson 65), 11 Harrison Astley, 10 Reece Dean, 9 David Davidson, 1 Jamie Major (Beech 40) (Major 76), 2 Mike Jobling, 3 Tomas Bairstow, 4 Paulos Latu (Logavatu 40), 5 Liam Regardsoe, 6 David Halaifonua (Nasilasila 61), 7 Evi Uriburu-Gray (Russell 52), 8 Will Hall.

Replacements: 16 Kym Russell, 17 Charlie Beech, 18 Mosese Nasilasila, 19 Joji Logavatu, 20 Peter Hudson.

Hull Ionians 24 Titans 49

Rotherham Titans put in an impressive performance to run out 49-24 winners over a hard-working Hull Ionians outfit on a bright afternoon at Brantingham Park.

Rotherham outscored the hosts by 7 tries to three as John Okafor and Loma Kivalu helped themselves to a brace of tries, with Charlie Capps, JB Bruzulier and Lloyd Hayes all going over too; the latter also impressed from the tea as he secured a perfect afternoon with 7 conversions.

The victory was well-deserved and maintains Titans unbeaten record this term; it also keeps them within touching distance of league leaders Leeds Tykes.

The game itself played in a combative spirit, saw Ionians take the lead on 3 minutes when Lewis Minikin knocked over a penalty.

Rotherham soon settled however and began to enjoy periods of possession and territory which resulted in the first try, when fly half Will Milner slipped through to send in John Okafor under the posts.

Despite their increasing dominance Rotherham had to wait until just before the half hour mark before their next score.

This time it was scrum half JB Bruzulier with a little pop-pass that sent in loose head prop Charlie Capps.

Just before the break Titans Jack Taylor was yellow carded; the result of which saw Ionians camped on the Titans line for a full five minutes.

This was a huge moment in the game, but Rotherham managed to hold out with some outstanding defending with 14 men.

After the break Roth quickly found their stride and by the hour mark had run in another 3 tries to virtually seal the game.

First up JB Bruzulier spun off the back of a powerful maul to dive over, then Lloyd Hayes collected a pass from Bruzulier and proceeded to cut through the I’s defence to score and finally front row replacement Loma Kivalu picked up from the base of a ruck close to the line to dive over.

Inside the final 10 minutes and with the game gone, Ionians chose to run everything in pursuit of a try bonus point.

Eight minutes from time Lewis Minikin got the ball rolling when he sliced through quite easily for I’s first try.

From the restart Roth responded immediately when John Okafor collected and proceeded to gallop almost half the length of the field for a nice individual try.

Back came the hosts however and with lots of adventure and ambition scored a quick-fire brace of tries through Joe Makin and Lucas Powell.

Nevertheless Rotherham did have the final say when Kivalu collected near the posts to dive over in a frenetic ending to the game.

Other than the final 10 minutes of the match Rotherham would have been delighted with their defensive effort, but more importantly, to come away from a tricky test like Hull Ionians with five points is to be highly commended.

Titans will now turn their attention to and prepare well for their next assignment, when Hull visit Clifton Lane on Saturday.

Referee: Michael Harris

Attendance: 317

Yellow Card: Taylor (Titans)

Titans: Okafor (2T), Kivalu (2T), Capps (T), Bruzulier (T), Hayes (T, 7C)

Hull Ionians: Makin (T), Powell (T), Minikin (T, P, 3C)

Titans: 15 Jack Townend, 14 Dan Rundle, 13 Lloyd Hayes, 12 Tomasi Tanumi, 11 Jack Taylor, 10 Will Milner, 9 JB Bruzulier (Eissa 59), 1 Charlie Capps (Kivalu 51), 2 Jack Bergmanas (Cole 51), 3 Gareth Denman (Ward 40), 4 Matt Challinor, 5 Matt Smith (Cowen-Leak 79), 19 John Okafor, 7 Laurence Cowen-Leak (Bustin 53), 8 Zak Poole (Capt.).

Replacements: 16 Luke Cole, 17 Loma Kivalu, 30 Reece Ward, 18 Callum Bustin, 20 Kareem Eissa.  

Hull Ionians: 15 Lewis Minikin, 14 Sam Wilson (Winch 64), 13 Josh Britton, 12 Will Stowe, 11 Will Yates, 10 Sam Pocklington, 9 Jimmy McDaniel (Hassard 64), 1 Chris Morton, 2 Ally Forth (Edwards 64), 3 Euan Walker (Westwood 46), 4 Joe Makin, 5 Callum Sanderson (Gascoigne 56), 6 Lucas Powell, 7 James Sanderson (Capt.), 8 George Mewburn. 

Replacements: 16 Scott Westwood, 19 Sam Edwards, 21 Declan Gascoigne, 24 Tom Winch, 20 Sam Hassard.

Titans 34 Otley 32

Rotherham Titans were made to work hard for their narrow, but deserved 34-32 win over a resolute Otley side on a wet afternoon at Clifton Lane.

Titans outscored the West Yorkshire outfit by five tries to four, with scores coming from Luke Cole, Harry Dunne, Zak Poole and a brace from Jack Taylor, whilst Lloyd Hayes added nine points from the tee.

The victory was far from straightforward with Rotherham having to overcome a first half 25-14 deficit, before mounting a stirring second half effort to run out worthy winners.

Otley started the game brighter showing plenty of emotion and desire to get at Roth; that enthusiasm was converted into points on 5 minutes when full back Jacob Holmes broke through to open the scoring.

Titans bounced back shortly after when a powerful maul pushed the visitors backwards before hooker Luke Cole dotted down from the tail. Lloyd Hayes impressed with his conversion from out wide on his 100th appearance for the club.

Back came Otley almost immediately as winger Sam Taylor coasted through the Roth defence far too easily to score. Gavin Stead converted and then stretched his side’s advantage to 15-7 a few minutes later with a penalty.

Despite Rotherham enjoying lots of territory and possession and despite their pack completely dominating at the set piece they were unable to add to their tally at this phase of the game.

Eventually however the pressure told on Otley as Harry Dunne crashed over following a lot of hard work inside the 22. Hayes tagged on the extras.

Disappointingly again for Rotherham Otley hit back almost straight way!

This time it was scrum half Rory Gaffney who skipped his way through virtually unopposed from a scrum inside the Roth 22. Stead converted and followed this up with another penalty just before half time to send his side in for the oranges in high spirits.

Trailing 25-14 Rotherham needed to respond and find solutions to overcome a stubborn and determined Otley outfit.

Indeed, the second half saw a different Rotherham to the first as they stepped up their intensity, cut down on the penalties and became more clinical when opportunities arose. This resulted in them scoring three tries inside a 15-minute spell.

Firstly skipper Zak Poole crashed over from a maul, before winger Jack Taylor raced in for two sharp tries in the corner to give his side a 31-25 lead.

Inside the final ten minutes Lloyd Hayes added another penalty to stretch Roth’s lead to 34-25 and crucially to more than one score.

It appeared as if Otley would suffer being nilled in the second half, before two minutes from time centre Gavin Stead went over near the posts following a break in midfield from Louis Martin. Stead dusted himself down to knock over the extras and set up a nervy finish for the Titans.

From the restart however Otley couldn’t get out of their half and when Titans John Okafor induced a penalty with some fine work over the ball, referee Woods blew to end a pulsating encounter.

Once again Titans witnessed how opposing teams find performances against them that belie their league position; and so massive credit must go to the Roth players for matching their opponent’s spirit and determination and for coming out on top and maintaining their unbeaten status this term.

Speaking after the game Titans Rugby Consultant Harvey Biljon reflected:

“Otley were very good and fair play to them; they came here with a game plan and they stuck to it. On the flip side our players adapted very well, they took on the messages at half time and in those conditions they found a way to win.

“From a starting point coming in I think we’ve done well to win today, but there’s a lot of work still to put in.”

Following on from Biljon’s comments, Titans head coach, Gaz Lewis, added:

“Otley clearly tried to upset our rhythm and I think that will be a key theme throughout the season. We had to play territory, we had to control our scrum and our maul and the players listened and adapted and credit to them for finding a way to win.

“We’ve made a few changes in how we want to play, we spoke before the game about taking a breath and understanding there will be things that go wrong at times, but it’s about managing those moments.

The main thing is we found a way to win and we’ll now prepare well for Hull Ionians next week.”

Referee: Daniel Woods

Attendance: 250

Yellow Card: None

Titans: Taylor (2T), Cole (T), Dunne (T), Poole (T), Hayes (3C, 1P)

Otley:  Holmes (T), Taylor (T), Gaffney (T), Stead (T, 3C, 2P)

Titans: 15 Jack Townend, 14 Dan Rundle, 13 Tomasi Tanumi, 12 Harry Dunne (Bustin 50), 11 Jack Taylor, 10 Lloyd Hayes, 9 JB Bruzulier, 1 Charlie Capps (Kivalu 34) (Capps 73), 2 Luke Cole (Bergmanas 50), 3 Gareth Denman (Ward 34) (Denman 65), 4 Matt Challinor, 5 Matt Smith, 6 Rupert Kay (Okafor 50), 7 Laurence Cowen-Leak, 8 Zak Poole (Capt.).

Replacements: 16 Jack Bergmanas, 17 Loma Kivalu, 30 Reece Ward, 19 John Okafor, 18 Callum Bustin.  

Otley: 15 Jacob Holmes, 14 Sam Taylor, 13 Gavin Stead, 12 Charlie Metcalf (Martin 55), 11 Clark Wells, 10 Eddie Crossland (Capt.), 9 Rory Gaffney (Eaton 65), 1 George Parker 9 (Bowen 34) (Fontaine 65) (Bowen 76), 2 Leon Mudd, 3 Jason Moss (Baxter 30) (Moss 72), 4 Alex Johnson, 5 Chris Jackson, 6 Nick Fontaine (Gibson 30), 7 Sam Hodge, 8 Ben Waddington.

Replacements: 16 Ryan Gibson, 17 Tom Baxter, 18 George Bowen, 19 Lewis Eaton, 20 Louis Martin.